William Hazen Rogers (d. 1873) was the oldest of the Rogers Brothers. He left the family farm in 1820 to apprentice with Joseph Church, a jeweler and silversmith in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1825, William Hazen Rogers became Church's partner; though partnered with Church, William Hazen Rogers also stamped spoons with his individual maker's mark of [eagle] WM. ROGERS [star] between 1825 and 1841.  William's brother, Asa Rogers, Jr., formed a partnership with John A. Cole in 1830.     When Cole retired in 1832, and the company became Asa Rogers Jr. and Company, with William Hazen Rogers as a partner until 1834. On 2 August 1836, William Rogers opened his own shop under the company name William Rogers.

On 23 July 1838, William Hazen Rogers bought Asa, Jr.'s spoon manufactory.  A third Rogers brother, Simeon, learned silversmithing in William's shop. In 1841, Simeon was admitted as a partner to William Hazen Rogers, and the company changed names to William Rogers and Company.   The new company maker's mark became [eagle] WM. ROGERS & CO. [star].

About 1843-1844, Asa Rogers, Jr. began working with William B. Cowles and James H. Isaacson.   So on the 13th November 1845, Cowles Manufacturing Company was formed in Granby, Connecticut.  Asa Jr. was also working with William Hazen Rogers in Hartford at this time; William and Asa Jr. partnered with J. O. Mead as Rogers and Mead from 1845-1846. In 1846, Asa Jr. left Cowles Manufacturing Company.   In early 1847, Asa Jr. returned to Hartford, and all three brothers: William, Simeon, and Asa Jr.---began producing silverplated spoons bearing the trademark "ROGERS BROS."

The increasing volume of business led to the organization of a new company in 1853: Rogers Brothers Manufacturing Company.   William Rogers left in 1856 to join with George W. Smith as Rogers, Smith and Company, with William Rogers as president.  In 1862, Meriden Britannia Company bought the tools and dies of that company.  William joined Meriden Britannia in 1847, as the production director of their "Rogers Brothers" line.  In 1865, William Rogers became associated with his son, William Rogers, Jr., as an organizer and partner in William Rogers Manufacturing Company. The Rogers family businesses continued to grow and eventually merged with Meriden Britannia; all three brothers were employed by Meriden Britannia Company when they died.

The International Silver Company formed on November 19, 1898. It immediately bought and merged together the operations of numerous silver goods manufacturers—most of them from Connecticut. These manufacturers included the Barbour Silver Company of Hartford, the Holmes & Edwards Silver Company of Bridgeport, Rogers and Brothers of Waterbury, the Watrous Manufacturing Company of Wallingford, and the Meriden Britannia Company. Making its headquarters in Meriden, the International Silver Company became the major producer of silver products in the United States and earned Meriden the nickname of “The Silver City.”

In the 1950s, in response to overseas competition, the firm further diversified its metalwork beyond silver and expanded its Meriden facilities. In 1969, the company, now called Insilco Corporation, branched out into electronics, automotive components, office products and other areas. As for its International Silver Company subsidiary, low-priced imports, rising silver prices, and shifting consumer preferences led to a shrinking market for silverware. Insilco reoriented some International Silver facilities to other purposes and eventually sold the subsidiary. By 1984, silverware production in Meriden came to a close.

Flatware is a generic term applied to the knives, forks spoons and other utensils people use to serve and eat food. Silver-plated flatware is made of a base metal like stainless steel, brass or copper that has been electroplated with silver. The plating is thinner than a human hair. Silver-plated flatware first appeared in the mid-19th century as manufacturers sought to expand their market by offering a low-priced alternative to pure sterling silverware.

When not in use, keep these Sterling or Silver-Plated flatware in a closed drawer or chest lined with tarnish-resistant cloth. We do not recommend any of these three metals to be put in the dishwasher. If you choose to place them in a dishwasher, ensure that you do not mix metals in the same load. Remove flatware before the drying cycle and hand dry. Also, dishwashing detergents might contain bleach that remove the oxidation that was used to highlight pattern detail.   Sterling and silver-plate do require periodic polishing with high-quality silver polish. -ONEIDA

Silver-plated flatware should be washed by hand with a non-lemon-scented, phosphate-free dish detergent and dried immediately with a soft dish towel. Never wash silver-plated flatware in a dishwasher, according to the Society of American Silversmiths, because the high heat and harsh detergents can damage the thin plating and loosen knife handles or non-metal components of the flatware. Also, pepper and salt corrode silver plating, so shakers should be emptied, washed and dried before storing.